Brazil legend Pele has died aged 82 after suffering from colon cancer.
The former Santos striker began end of life care in his homeland after he didn't respond to chemotherapy. However, he released a statement early last month saying he was remaining strong and still had hope. It read: "My friends, I want to keep everyone calm and positive. I'm strong, with a lot of hope and I follow my treatment as usual. I want to thank the entire medical and nursing team for all the care I have received. I have a lot of faith in God and every message of love I receive from you all over the world keeps me full of energy. And watching Brazil in the World Cup too! Thank you so much for everything."
But Pele, full name Edson Arantes do Nascimento, passed away earlier today, his agent confirmed. He was admitted to the Albert Einstein Jewish hospital after contracting a respiratory infection. Despite early improvements, Pele's condition worsened over the last few weeks and his daughter shared an emotional social media post last Friday. Captioned: "“We continue to be here, in fight and in faith. One more night together,” Kelly Nascimento shared a photo of her hugging her father as he lay in his hospital bed.
His family have now released statement after his passing. It read: "Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pele, who peacefully passed away today. On his journey, Edson enchanted the world with his genius in sport, stopped a war, carried out social works all over the world and spread and spread what he most believed to be the cure for all out problems: love.
"His message today becomes a legacy for future generations Love, love and love forever."
Hailed as the greatest player ever, alongside former Argentinian rival,the late Diego Maradona, the forward shot to global prominence in 1958, becoming the youngest ever player to play in the tournament, hosted by Sweden that year. His star shone even brighter by the end of the tournament after he netted twice in a 5-2 victory over the hosts in the final.
He would go on to lift the ultimate prize in football a record three times. The Selecao were victorious once again four years later, but it was their 1970 triumph in Mexico that is perhaps most treasured, as a wonderful team dismantled Italy 4-0 in the final, with that crop commonly regarded as the best side to ever play the game.
Pele represented only two clubs during his career; his beloved Santos, where he spent 18 years, scoring 618 goals in 636 games. In 1974 he joined New York Cosmos in the United States, scoring 37 times in 64 games across three years.
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